Advertisement

Sajid Javid: Who is the new Culture Secretary?

Sajid Javid, a British-Pakistani father of four, is to become become the government's new Culture Secretary and Equalities Minister, Prime Minister David Cameron has announced this morning.

The 44-year-old received the nod to replace embattled Maria Miller after a long-running row over her expenses claims.

He moves from his current role as Financial Secretary to the Treasury - where one of his tasks would have been helping draw up last month's Budget - to a job where he'll be overseeing, among other things, the controversial issue of press regulation.

The shift from high finance to his seat as MP for Bromsgrove may not have been lucrative, but it may be viewed as successful - he is seen by many as one of the rising stars of the Conservative Party and has even been tipped as a potential future leader.

Sajid Javid, third from the left, with the Treasury team on Budget day. Credit: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

The Muslim son of an immigrant, his promotion will be viewed by some as a welcome sign of inclusivity in a government that has at times been criticised for its lack of diversity.

Mr Javid says his father Abdul came to Britain from Pakistan "with just £1 in his pocket", before becoming a bus driver and taking over a ladieswear shop in Bristol.

Sajid and his family lived in a two-bedroom flat above the store, and the future MP went to a state comprehensive before attending the University of Exeter where he studied economics and politics.

While Mr Javid's move to the front benches may not have been in the circumstances he would have envisioned, it will surely provide a keen sense of pride for a man that began his political life as a Conservative volunteer back in the days of his idol, Margaret Thatcher.